[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 19th of November, 2017. This is our Thanksgiving service. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
Last week for my short devotional, I read to you from the New King James Version of Psalm 100, because it spoke of singing and praising God and that’s what we do in our 5th Sunday services. But that short psalm also speaks so beautifully of giving thanks to God, and of how we should approach Him. Listen and follow along as I once again read Psalm 100, this time from the English Standard Version of our Holy Bible…
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into His presence with singing!
3 Know that the Lord, He is God!
It is He who made us, and we are His;
we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving,
and His courts with praise!
Give thanks to Him; bless His name!
5 For the Lord is good;
His steadfast love endures forever,
and His faithfulness to all generations.
--Psalm 100 (ESV)
Let us pray… Father God, You give us a voice to sing and joy in our hearts. Forgive us, please Father, when we fail to let that joy out for all to hear, and in hearing to know that we love You. Help us to sing Your praises every chance we get. Speak to us now, Father, that we might better understand and obey Your word this morning. In the blessed name of Your Son Jesus we pray. Amen.
A man had a habit of grumbling at the food his wife placed before him at family meals. Then he would ask the blessing. One day after his usual combination complaint-prayer, his little girl asked, “Daddy, does God hear us when we pray?”
“Why, of course,” he replied. “He hears us every time we pray.”
She paused a moment, and asked, “Does He hear everything we say the rest of the time?”
“Yes, dear, every word,” her father replied, encouraged that he had inspired his daughter to be curious about spiritual matters. However, his pride was quickly turned to humility at her next question.
“Then, which does God believe?”
We can understand the little girl’s confusion, can’t we? First her father grumbles and complains about the meal her mother placed before him on the table. But then he prays and thanks God for it, asking His blessing over the food. So which is it, which part does God believe – the grumbling, or the thanksgiving?
Maybe the better questions is, who many times do we go before our Father God in prayer grumbling and complaining, then thank Him for whatever it is we feel obligated to thank Him for? Which do you think really expresses what we feel in our hearts – the complaints, or the thanks?
Think for a moment about the poor atheist. What happens when he has a moment of feeling intensely grateful for something, and has no one to thank? Neither King David nor our unknown psalmist had any problem knowing just Who to thank.
And neither did the Apostle Paul. Listen to what he tells us to do, in his 1st letter to the Thessalonians, chapter 5, verses 16 through 18…
Rejoice always! Not just when things are going our way, but always! In everything give thanks! Paul doesn’t say to give thanks for everything, but in everything. In other words, no matter what circumstance we may find ourselves us, there is still something we can give thanks to God for. For instance we might not think paying taxes is all that good a thing, not something we would be thankful for. But if we’re paying taxes, it means we have an income to be taxed on, and for that we can indeed give thanks to God.
So no matter what load of horse manure life just dumped on your head, look for something to thank God for. You won’t have to look far. This is God’s will for us, because when we stop to be thankful, it puts us in a much better, more positive frame of mind. And all that fertilizer we’re trying to dig ourselves out from under won’t smell quite so bad.
Did you notice in our scripture reading that our psalmist used a lot of action words? Make a joyful noise. Serve the Lord. Come into His presence. Enter His gates. These are all things we must intentionally do, on purpose.
Pleasing the Lord requires some action on our part. And not just any action. He doesn’t want us making noise just to be making noise. Paul gives us a little additional insight into this in his letter to the Ephesians, chapter 5, verses 15 through 21, when he instructs us…
Walk carefully, as wise people. Understand what the will of the Lord is. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks – that’s a big chunk of God’s will for us, according to Paul. Give thanks always. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Come into His presence with singing.
Is that how we approach God? When are we in His presence? Well, technically, always – ever single second of every minute or every day – because God Himself is within us, in the person of His Holy Spirit. Jesus died on the cross to make God available to us all the time, from anywhere.
Many of us, though, think about entering into His presence when we walk through those doors into this sanctuary – when we come into “God’s house”. But I think we are truly most aware of being in His presence when we approach Him in prayer. That is our time to talk with God, to speak to Him and to listen for a reply. We feel Him near when we pray.
And that is why we should start every prayer with thanksgiving. Every prayer, not just those during the Thanksgiving holiday. But let that Thanksgiving feast serve as a reminder. Thank God for the food, that we have enough to eat. Thank Him for the house we eat in, that we have a roof over our head. Thank Him for those we love who He has placed in our lives, even if we are alone and maybe lonely.
In all things give thanks to God, and bless His holy name. Make a joyful noise, for we are in the presence of the Lord. In the blessed name of Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You are the Creator of all things. Anything and everything we have comes from You, out of Your love and generosity. Thank You, Father, for all Your many blessings! And thank You especially for sending Your Son Jesus to offer us salvation, and for allowing us to come into Your presence at any time we wish. Help us, please Father, to come to You joyfully, with a song in our hearts and on our lips. Help us to remember to enter into your gates with thanksgiving. Forgive us when we get so wrapped up with our many needs that we forget to give You our thanks. Please know that we are grateful for all You do and all You give.
Please hear us now, Father, as we silently speak to You straight from our hearts, thanking You for Your many blessings, repenting of our disobedience, seeking Your forgiveness…
Lord Jesus, Your Apostle Paul knew Your heart and spoke for You, telling us how we should live as Your followers, as Christians. And he told us to rejoice always, to pray without stopping, and to give thanks to our Father God in all situations. Help us, Lord, to do as Paul instructed. Help us to not only be a grateful people, but to show God our gratitude.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith. Amen.
A man had a habit of grumbling at the food his wife placed before him at family meals. Then he would ask the blessing. One day after his usual combination complaint-prayer, his little girl asked, “Daddy, does God hear us when we pray?”
“Why, of course,” he replied. “He hears us every time we pray.”
She paused a moment, and asked, “Does He hear everything we say the rest of the time?”
“Yes, dear, every word,” her father replied, encouraged that he had inspired his daughter to be curious about spiritual matters. However, his pride was quickly turned to humility at her next question.
“Then, which does God believe?”
We can understand the little girl’s confusion, can’t we? First her father grumbles and complains about the meal her mother placed before him on the table. But then he prays and thanks God for it, asking His blessing over the food. So which is it, which part does God believe – the grumbling, or the thanksgiving?
Maybe the better questions is, who many times do we go before our Father God in prayer grumbling and complaining, then thank Him for whatever it is we feel obligated to thank Him for? Which do you think really expresses what we feel in our hearts – the complaints, or the thanks?
Think for a moment about the poor atheist. What happens when he has a moment of feeling intensely grateful for something, and has no one to thank? Neither King David nor our unknown psalmist had any problem knowing just Who to thank.
And neither did the Apostle Paul. Listen to what he tells us to do, in his 1st letter to the Thessalonians, chapter 5, verses 16 through 18…
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
--1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV)
So no matter what load of horse manure life just dumped on your head, look for something to thank God for. You won’t have to look far. This is God’s will for us, because when we stop to be thankful, it puts us in a much better, more positive frame of mind. And all that fertilizer we’re trying to dig ourselves out from under won’t smell quite so bad.
Did you notice in our scripture reading that our psalmist used a lot of action words? Make a joyful noise. Serve the Lord. Come into His presence. Enter His gates. These are all things we must intentionally do, on purpose.
Pleasing the Lord requires some action on our part. And not just any action. He doesn’t want us making noise just to be making noise. Paul gives us a little additional insight into this in his letter to the Ephesians, chapter 5, verses 15 through 21, when he instructs us…
15 See then that you walk carefully, not as fools, but as wise men, 16 making the most of the time because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 Do not be drunk with wine, for that is reckless living. But be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. 20 Give thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 being submissive to one another in the fear of God.
--Ephesians 5:15-21 (MEV)
Is that how we approach God? When are we in His presence? Well, technically, always – ever single second of every minute or every day – because God Himself is within us, in the person of His Holy Spirit. Jesus died on the cross to make God available to us all the time, from anywhere.
Many of us, though, think about entering into His presence when we walk through those doors into this sanctuary – when we come into “God’s house”. But I think we are truly most aware of being in His presence when we approach Him in prayer. That is our time to talk with God, to speak to Him and to listen for a reply. We feel Him near when we pray.
And that is why we should start every prayer with thanksgiving. Every prayer, not just those during the Thanksgiving holiday. But let that Thanksgiving feast serve as a reminder. Thank God for the food, that we have enough to eat. Thank Him for the house we eat in, that we have a roof over our head. Thank Him for those we love who He has placed in our lives, even if we are alone and maybe lonely.
In all things give thanks to God, and bless His holy name. Make a joyful noise, for we are in the presence of the Lord. In the blessed name of Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You are the Creator of all things. Anything and everything we have comes from You, out of Your love and generosity. Thank You, Father, for all Your many blessings! And thank You especially for sending Your Son Jesus to offer us salvation, and for allowing us to come into Your presence at any time we wish. Help us, please Father, to come to You joyfully, with a song in our hearts and on our lips. Help us to remember to enter into your gates with thanksgiving. Forgive us when we get so wrapped up with our many needs that we forget to give You our thanks. Please know that we are grateful for all You do and all You give.
Please hear us now, Father, as we silently speak to You straight from our hearts, thanking You for Your many blessings, repenting of our disobedience, seeking Your forgiveness…
Lord Jesus, Your Apostle Paul knew Your heart and spoke for You, telling us how we should live as Your followers, as Christians. And he told us to rejoice always, to pray without stopping, and to give thanks to our Father God in all situations. Help us, Lord, to do as Paul instructed. Help us to not only be a grateful people, but to show God our gratitude.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith. Amen.
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